Obtaining seeds from vegetables
Have you discovered delicious vegetables in your grandma's garden and are itching to have the same variety in your own? Did you grow the tastiest tomatoes ever in your garden this year and would like to spread them around the world? Or are you simply fed up with buying the same boring seeds year after year for a lot of money? Then we recommend you: simply harvest your own homegrown vegetable seeds and not only secure enough seeds for the coming gardening season, but also protect very special, rare varieties from extinction. How does it work? It's easy! We'll show you how to collect new seeds from your harvest and what you need to keep in mind.
One important thing first:
You should only harvest seeds from vegetables whose origins you know exactly. Commercially available seeds are usually so-called F1 hybrid vegetables. In simple terms: They are non-germinating, meaning they were specifically bred to prevent propagation, so you have to buy new seeds every year! (Stupid consumer world!) Therefore: If you harvest seeds , you should be absolutely sure that you are doing so from open-pollinated plants! You can find information on whether a plant is open-pollinated or a hybrid on the seed packaging. Organic and Demeter seeds are usually open-pollinated.
And this is how you get seeds from…
...tomatoes
- Cut the tomato fruit lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Tomato seeds are usually stuck in or on a slimy substance. To remove this, either place the seeds in a very fine sieve and rinse with water, or place them in a glass of water and let it sit for 1-2 days. The slimy substance will separate, allowing you to fish the seeds out of the water.
- Now carefully spread the seeds on newspaper or kitchen paper and place them in a dry place to dry.
A little tip: If you're feeling really clever, you can also spread the small seeds directly on the paper towel, about 5 cm apart. Once they're all dry, you can carefully fold or roll the whole thing up and store it in a cool, dry place. Next year, spread the paper out on top of the soil, and the seeds can sprout right away at the perfect distance! - After successfully collecting the seeds, always pack them correctly in seed packets and be sure to label them with the variety and year of collection!
Good to Know
The principle of seed extraction for cucumbers , eggplants , zucchini , peppers , and pumpkins is relatively similar to that for tomatoes . Here, too, you need to remove the seeds from the fruit, remove the surrounding pulp, rinse them, and lay them out to dry....Corn
Collecting seeds from sweetcorn is very easy. The only difficulty is not eating all the cobs, but saving one and placing it on a warm windowsill to dry. That's pretty much it. Once the cob is dry, you can pick off the seeds individually and store them in bags or a container until next year.
...beans
It's also incredibly easy to collect bean seeds for next year. The difficulty, as with squash , is not eating them all right away. So, simply leave a few pods hanging on the vine and wait until they're overripe. When the pods shrivel, pick them off, place them in your warm room to dry, and hey presto, you've saved seeds for next year. You can either pull out the seeds or store them with the pod—it makes no difference.
Good to Know
... leaf lettuce
The great thing about this lettuce is that you can harvest it regularly over the course of weeks by removing the large leaves on the sides. This way it continually develops new green leaves and keeps growing. But at some point even the best harvest time is over. The lettuce shoots up and makes it unmistakably clear to you: I'm done. Now it's time for you to be patient. If you leave your lettuce for a while longer, it will start to flower and develop seeds, which you can then harvest. You do this by cutting off the flowers and placing them in a bowl to dry. This way the fine seeds will automatically collect and you can easily transfer them into small seed packets .
Good to Know
Spinach , dill , and other herbs work according to the same principle. Simply wait until the plants flower and then harvest their seeds.
...Potatoes
You can also harvest potatoes for next year. You can do this by sorting through your potato harvest for small, unblemished potatoes. Instead of eating them, store them. Place them in a well-ventilated box in a layer of soil and store the whole thing in a darkened room (e.g., the pantry).
Fancy some new varieties?:
Have you been diligently collecting seeds, but are actually looking for something completely new in your garden next year? Then join our seed circle and exchange your collected seeds for other varieties, perhaps completely new to you.
